A Texas A&M administrator and professor, William L. Fuerst,
has been named dean of the KU School of Business, effective July
3, Provost David E. Shulenburger announced recently.

Fuerst has been associate dean of Texas A&M's Lowry Mays
College and Graduate School of Business. He succeeds Tom Sarowski,
KU business school dean since 1995, who is retiring from the
university June 30.

"I know that Bill and Tom Sarowski will work closely together
to ensure a smooth transition. Bill Fuerst and his wife, Lisa
Ottinger, are great additions to the KU community," said
Shulenburger.

Fuerst has also been named the inaugural Henry D. Price Professor
of Business. The new professorship was created by a gift from
Henry Price of Peoria, Ariz. Beginning this year, Price will
fund the professorship with annual contributions to the Kansas
University Endowment Association to support the professorship.
He has also made a $1.5 million bequest that will endow the new
professorship.

"We are especially pleased to see the creation of the Henry
Price professorship," said Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway.
"This gift played an important role in our ability to recruit
someone of the high caliber of Bill Fuerst."

Fuerst, originally from Kewanee, Ill., joined the faculty at
Texas A&M in 1979. In addition to his teaching and research
duties, he also served as founding director of Texas A&M's
Center for the Management of Information Systems. Under his leadership,
the center brought more than $400,000 in new revenue to Texas
A&M and attracted corporate sponsorship from a variety of
industries. In the mid-1980s, he was a senior manager in the
consulting practice of Price Waterhouse in Dallas.

"I am delighted to accept this opportunity, and look forward
to working with the faculty, administration, and business constituencies
to continue the tradition of excellence at KU. The University
of Kansas has a national and international reputation for high
quality," Fuerst said.

He said the excellence of the faculty, the support of the university
administration and the strong ties with the business community
were important factors in accepting the position.
Fuerst received a teaching excellence award in 1993 from Texas
A&M's Association of Former Students. He has been awarded
more than $50,000 for funded research projects. He holds a doctorate
in management information systems from Texas Tech and a master's
of business administration from Northern Illinois University.
His bachelor's degree, in psychology, is from Knox College.